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USS Nevada (SSBN 733)

USS NEVADA is the eighth ship in the OHIO class of Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines and the first submarine in the Navy to bear the name of the state.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS NEVADA. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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Accidents of USS NEVADA:

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USS NEVADA History:

USS NEVADA began as part of the United States Navy's effort in the late Cold War to deploy a survivable, sea-based leg of the strategic nuclear triad. The contract to build the boat was awarded on January 7, 1981 to General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division at Groton, Connecticut, at a time when the United States was expanding the TRIDENT submarine force to counter Soviet strategic capabilities and to replace older fleet ballistic-missile submarines. The keel of USS NEVADA was laid at Groton on August 8, 1983, and she took shape as the eighth unit of the OHIO-class and the last TRIDENT I (C4) missile boat. She was launched on September 14, 1985, sponsored by Carol Laxalt, wife of senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada, symbolically connecting the new submarine to the state whose name she bore. After fitting-out and sea trials, the Navy formally accepted the boat on August 7, 1986, and she was commissioned at Groton on August 16, 1986, with Captain F. W. Rohm in command of the Blue crew and Captain William Stone in command of the Gold crew, reflecting the two-crew system designed to keep TRIDENT submarines on patrol as much as possible.

The commissioning ceremony took place against the background of continuing public debate over nuclear weapons. Outside the event, around one hundred anti-nuclear demonstrators from the Coalition to Stop Trident protested the arrival of another ballistic-missile submarine. Local police arrested a number of activists for disorderly conduct and breach of the peace. Inside the yard, the Navy emphasized the role of boats like USS NEVADA in maintaining strategic deterrence, complementing land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and long-range bombers as part of the triad then focused primarily on the Soviet Union.

Immediately after commissioning, USS NEVADA entered an intensive period of shakedown operations and missile-system testing. Originally fitted with the TRIDENT I (C4) ballistic-missile system, she went through the standard Demonstration and Shakedown Operation (DASO) that each new TRIDENT boat completed before entering the operational fleet. On September 30, 1986, she conducted a TRIDENT I C4 missile test launch that is recorded as the 52nd TRIDENT launch overall and the 27th DASO launch, confirming the performance of her new strategic weapon system and demonstrating to both U.S. authorities and potential adversaries that the boat and crew could safely fire an intercontinental ballistic missile from the sea.

After trials in the Atlantic, the Navy planned to homeport USS NEVADA at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington, to join the Pacific TRIDENT force. During the transit to her new homeport, on July 3, 1987, she suffered a significant propulsion casualty when part of her reduction gear failed because of improperly installed components. The failure caused an estimated several hundred thousand dollars in damage and temporarily robbed the boat of normal propulsion. The crew carried out temporary repairs at sea sufficient to restore power and maneuverability and, importantly from a safety standpoint, brought the submarine back to port under her own power. Subsequent investigations traced the problem to errors in assembly rather than to design flaws, and the incident became an early example of how complex nuclear-powered ships required stringent quality-control procedures in their propulsion plants.

Once the propulsion issue was resolved, USS NEVADA completed her move to the Pacific Northwest and prepared for her operational role. On August 11, 1987, she completed her first strategic loadout at Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific at Bremerton, Washington, embarking a full complement of TRIDENT I C4 missiles and associated warheads. On September 28, 1987, she departed on her first strategic deterrent patrol, the last of the initial group of TRIDENT submarines needed to complete deployment of the Pacific TRIDENT force. Her entry into full service marked the closure of a lengthy expansion phase in which the United States had shifted a large portion of its sea-based nuclear force to the Pacific to cover Soviet Far Eastern targets and, more generally, to diversify basing against a potential first strike.

Throughout 1987 and 1988, USS NEVADA alternated between deterrent patrols in the Pacific and periods of refit at Bangor. In addition to her covert patrols, the boat took part in missile test programs designed to verify the reliability of the TRIDENT I system under operational conditions. On February 24, 1988, she launched two TRIDENT I (C4) missiles in a Follow-on Operational Test, and on several other occasions in the early 1990s she participated in Follow-on CINC Evaluation Tests (FCETs) that provided statistical data on missile performance for U.S. Strategic Command. In particular, she fired two C4 missiles during an FCET on April 29, 1993, and four C4 missiles during a further FCET on February 10, 1998, demonstrating sustained reliability of the aging C4 system well after the end of the Cold War.

While her core mission remained clandestine patrols, USS NEVADA made a few public port visits in the late 1980s, reflecting a broader Navy effort to explain the role of the TRIDENT force to the American public. On June 7, 1988, she moored at Sitka, Alaska, alongside the tender USS DIXON (AS 37) during a brief visit that drew local attention to the presence of strategic submarines in the North Pacific. Later that year, on November 4, 1988, she called at naval air station Alameda in California, where the submarine opened portions of the boat for carefully controlled public tours. The Alameda visit was described in contemporary reporting as the first appearance of a TRIDENT submarine in the East Bay, symbolizing both community interest and the Navy's desire to show the human face of a platform whose normal activities remained entirely hidden.

The end of the 1980s and early 1990s saw the collapse of the Soviet Union, the signing of strategic arms reduction treaties, and a general reduction in the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons. USS NEVADA continued to patrol throughout this transition, operating from Bangor into the North Pacific and other assigned areas while the U.S. and Russia restructured their forces under agreements such as START I. The TRIDENT submarines were central to U.S. nuclear planning during this period because of their relative invulnerability compared to land-based systems, and USS NEVADA's repeated patrols contributed to maintaining a continuous at-sea deterrent even as older ballistic-missile submarines were retired.

In August 1990, photographs show USS NEVADA alongside the amphibious cargo ship USS MOBILE (LKA 115) at Long Beach Naval Shipyard in California, indicating that during this period she combined routine maintenance and crew training with occasional port visits in major West Coast naval hubs. With the end of the Cold War, the submarine's patrol patterns shifted away from specific Soviet targets to a more general deterrent posture, but the basic pattern of two crews alternating on 60- to 90-day patrols remained unchanged.

Throughout the 1990s, USS NEVADA remained a TRIDENT I C4 boat. The Navy, however, was already planning to consolidate the force around the newer, longer-range TRIDENT II (D5) missile. A major analytical and political debate in the 1990s concerned whether to convert some of the Pacific C4 boats to carry D5 or to retire them, but by the end of the decade the Navy had decided to backfit several Bangor-based submarines, including USS NEVADA, to the D5 configuration. This decision was implemented in a way that balanced operational needs and budget constraints.

The technical transition began gradually, with USS NEVADA continuing to conduct C4 FCETs through the late 1990s. On February 10, 1998, she launched four TRIDENT I missiles in such a test, one of the later C4 firings from a Pacific boat. As plans for the D5 backfit moved forward, she entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on February 1, 2001 for conversion from C4 to D5 configuration. This backfit involved modification of missile tubes, fire-control systems, navigation equipment, and support systems so that the submarine could employ the larger and more capable TRIDENT II missile, which offered greater range, accuracy, and payload flexibility. Later that year, on December 18, 2001, the United States formally reported to its treaty partners the completion of NEVADA's conversion from a C4 to a D5 SSBN, signifying that she had rejoined the operational force with the updated strategic weapon system.

During the early 2000s, USS NEVADA continued a regular pattern of deterrent patrols from Bangor, now armed with D5 missiles. The broader geopolitical context had changed dramatically: the principal concerns in U.S. strategic planning were no longer only Russia but also emerging nuclear powers and potential proliferators, as well as the long-term modernization of Chinese and other strategic forces. The TRIDENT force, including NEVADA, shifted from single-adversary scenarios to more varied deterrence requirements, though the operational routines at sea - extended patrols in deep ocean areas - remained deliberately consistent and predictable in their overall pattern.

In the mid-2000s, USS NEVADA's crews earned formal recognition for their operational performance. For the competition year 2005, both crews received the Battle Efficiency "E" award, signifying that the boat had been judged the top performer in its submarine squadron on the basis of inspections, tactical exercises, engineering readiness, and overall mission execution. In 2006, her Blue crew again received a Battle "E", while the Gold crew accumulated a series of departmental awards, including Engineering "E", Supply "S", Tactical "T", Medical "M", and Deck "D" symbols, indicating superior performance in those specific mission areas.

Not all events of this period were routine. During the night of August 1-2, 2006, while operating submerged in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near the entrance to the Pacific Ocean, USS NEVADA snagged and broke the towline connecting the tug PHYLISS DUNLAP to one of two barges it was towing from Honolulu to Seattle. The barge's towline, which extended more than 2,000 feet astern of the tug and ran roughly 100 to 150 feet below the surface, intersected NEVADA's track as she transited the busy strait. The impact severed the towline and caused structural damage to fiberglass portions of the submarine's sail and abrasions on one of her fairwater planes. No injuries occurred, but a second tug had to recover the drifting barge, and the incident prompted investigations by the Coast Guard and the Navy into submarine operations in heavily trafficked shipping lanes. USS NEVADA returned to Bangor for repairs, which were projected to be completed by about mid-August, and the event highlighted both the complexity of submerged navigation in confined waters and the importance of coordination between naval and commercial traffic.

In 2007, the Navy modified USS NEVADA's crew organization as part of preparations for a major overhaul. On June 8, 2007, at Deterrent Park at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, a change-of-command ceremony took place during which Commander Mark Behning relieved Commander Eric Holloway as commanding officer. At the same time the Navy temporarily combined the traditional Blue and Gold crews into a single "Green" crew, concentrating experienced personnel to oversee the upcoming refit and to provide continuity through the extended shipyard period.

In February 2008, USS NEVADA entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility at Bremerton for an Engineering Refueling Overhaul (ERO). This multi-year availability re-cored the nuclear reactor, inspected and refurbished propulsion and auxiliary systems, upgraded combat and navigation systems, and extended the submarine's service life from the original 30-year plan to approximately 42 years, in line with the decision to keep the OHIO-class force in service well into the 2020s and 2030s. The ERO lasted nearly 30 months. During this time, the combined "Green" crew worked alongside shipyard personnel, supervising and assisting with thousands of work items as the boat's reactor compartment, machinery spaces, and habitability areas were modernized to current standards.

By mid-2010, the ERO was nearing completion. In May 2010, NEVADA moored at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor as she progressed through docking, final outfitting, and preparations for sea trials. On July 21, 2010, after the core refueling and major modernization were finished, the Navy formally split the temporary "Green" crew back into separate Blue and Gold crews in preparation for renewed operations. Photographs from July 2010 show a crew split and assumption of command ceremony aboard the submarine at Bangor, with officers and sailors taking charge of the modernized boat. These events marked NEVADA's return to the operational ballistic-missile submarine force after a lengthy yard period.

In March 2011, USS NEVADA conducted at least one unarmed TRIDENT II D5 test launch, documented in official Navy imagery, to validate the performance of her strategic weapon system after the refueling overhaul and associated system upgrades. Such post-overhaul DASO-style tests are crucial both for technical verification and for demonstrating to U.S. Strategic Command that a refitted submarine can fully re-enter the deterrent patrol cycle.

Through the early and mid-2010s, USS NEVADA resumed a steady rhythm of strategic deterrent patrols from Bangor, alternating Blue and Gold crews on deployment cycles in the Pacific. Publicly released Navy photographs show the boat returning to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor after patrols in 2012 and later in the decade, with families gathered on the pier and sailors manning the topside watch during mooring. These routine patrols occurred against the background of evolving strategic concerns, including North Korea's advancing nuclear-missile program and China's development of its own ballistic-missile submarine fleet. While the specifics of NEVADA's patrol areas and operating patterns remain classified, the boat's continued use reflected the U.S. desire to maintain a constant at-sea deterrent in the Pacific hemisphere.

In 2018, USS NEVADA's crews again received formal recognition for their performance. For that competition year, the boat was awarded another Battle Efficiency "E" as the top ballistic-missile submarine in its squadron, demonstrating strong results in tactical readiness, reactor safety, and overall performance. That same year, her combined Blue and Gold crews were selected as the ballistic-missile submarine recipient of the Omaha Trophy, a United States Strategic Command award honoring excellence in strategic deterrence operations. The Omaha Trophy for 2018, formally announced on June 3, 2019, cited USS NEVADA, based at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, for outstanding performance across mission areas, reflecting sustained excellence over the evaluation period rather than a single event.

Entering the 2020s, USS NEVADA underwent another significant maintenance period, this time an Extended Refit Period (ERP) at the Trident Refit Facility at Bangor. According to a 2021 shipyard publication, the ERP involved 1,398 individual work packages totaling more than 57,000 man-days of effort, addressing both planned maintenance and additional "growth work" discovered after the boat entered refit. The tasks ranged from hull-coating renewal and mechanical repairs to upgrades in habitability and electronic systems. In early 2021, the submarine completed undocking following the ERP - an achievement that drew internal commendations for having stayed on schedule despite the complexity of the work and the broader constraints of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media posts from early 2021 likewise show USS NEVADA preparing for undocking after this extended refit.

On February 5, 2021, while still homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, the Gold crew of USS NEVADA held a change-of-command ceremony at Silverdale, Washington. Commander Nevin McChesney relieved Commander Edward Fultz as commanding officer of the Gold crew. The official account of the event noted that under Fultz's leadership, NEVADA's Gold crew had earned the 2018 Battle "E" and had shared in the 2018 Omaha Trophy, as well as having completed a Western Pacific patrol and demanding pre-deployment training periods.

With ERP complete and new leadership in place, USS NEVADA resumed deterrent operations. On December 16, 2021, she departed her homeport at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, transiting the Hood Canal en route to a scheduled strategic deterrent patrol, as documented in official photographs. This deployment occurred in a period of growing concern about strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and the modernization of both Russian and Chinese nuclear forces.

On January 15, 2022, USS NEVADA made a rare publicized port visit to Apra Harbor, Guam, mooring at Naval Base Guam during her Pacific patrol. Official Navy releases described the visit as a demonstration of U.S. commitment to Indo-Pacific regional security and as an illustration of the flexibility and reach of the ballistic-missile submarine force. The visit was widely reported because public appearances of deployed TRIDENT submarines in forward ports are unusual. Analysts noted that bringing a D5-armed SSBN to Guam sent a visible strategic message to both allies and potential adversaries about U.S. extended-deterrence guarantees in the region. After the port visit, the submarine returned to sea to continue her patrol and later came back to Bangor, though the precise dates of these movements remain classified.

In the years following the Guam deployment, USS NEVADA continued to operate as part of the Pacific TRIDENT force, taking part in training and integration events that reflected the U.S. Navy's increasingly joint and multi-domain approach to operations. Open sources describe at least one exercise in which she trained in company with another OHIO-class ballistic-missile submarine, USS HENRY M. JACKSON (SSBN 730), and with U.S. Navy MH-60R helicopters, U.S. Marine Corps CMV-22 Ospreys, and U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft, demonstrating the ability of strategic submarines to integrate with other platforms for support, logistics, and protection in contested environments. Although the detailed dates and scenarios for such exercises are not public, they fit into a broader pattern of training aimed at ensuring that ballistic-missile submarines can operate effectively in an era of increasing undersea competition.

In February 2025, imagery from Naval Base Kitsap shows USS NEVADA returning to Bangor after another strategic deterrent patrol, with sailors topside and tugs assisting her into the pier. This illustrates the enduring cycle of operations that has defined her service life: extended patrols in the Pacific, followed by refit, crew turnover, and training in home waters. Nearly four decades after her commissioning, USS NEVADA continues to serve as a central element of U.S. sea-based nuclear deterrence.

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